The Timid Toreador

The Timid Toreador is a 1940 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Norman McCabe.^[1] The short was released on December 21, 1940, and stars Porky Pig.^[2]

Plot[]

In a Mexican town, there are happy townspeople all around. Inside the bar, there are three Mexican singers. The central singer picks up the other two at one point and uses them as rattles. An old lady is washing some long underwear at a nearby fountain. She beats it up with a cast-iron skillet, but the underwear beats her back and dives into the water.

Then along comes Porky with a box of hot tamales (which, as we will see later, prove to be very hot). He's making his rounds and takes a brief break. A nearby chicken eyes the box of tamales, opens it up and swallows a tamale whole. Unfortunately, the tamale is so hot that it turns her into a roast chicken. Porky, annoyed with what happened, takes back the box and continues on his way.

A bullfight is starting. A short spectator is angry because the huge sombrero of the man in front of him is obstructing his view. So he takes a pin, pokes the sombrero, and it deflates, allowing the angry spectator to enjoy the bullfight. It begins with the introduction of a matador named Ponchi Pancho, and a bull named Slapsie Maxie Rosenbull. Both humans and "contented cows" are excited to watch the fight. The announcer describes the action as though it were a boxing match. When the bell sounds, the matador flaps his cape and Slapsie charges into the matador. At first, Slapsie admires Ponchi's cape, but then takes it from him. Ponchi screams and runs away with Slapsie giving chase. Ponchi makes it over a bullseye fence and Slapsie hits it so hard that a mounted spectator in the ring laughs hysterically at him. Naturally, Slapsie is not happy with the spectator's sense of humor, so he chalks up his horn as though it were a pool cue ("Screwball in the side pocket") and charges into him. The spectator and his horse are hit so hard the two become a centaur.

Later, Porky accidentally arrives in the ring. Slapsie is still chasing Ponchi, but somehow stops chasing him and guns for Porky instead. Porky at first thinks the mad bull is his next customer, but he quickly realizes he is in trouble and runs to grab a nearby sword. The sword's blade melts in fear of Slapsie, and Porky runs for his life. Slapsie chases Porky all around the ring. When Porky reaches the center of the ring and sees the bull still coming for him, he uses his sombrero as a drill to dig into the ground, getting out of harm's way. Porky emerges from the hole and tries to escape, but Slapsie blocks his exit. Then Slapsie sniffs the tamales. They smell delicious. Slapsie takes the box from Porky, admires them, asks "Who's afraid of hot?" and eats nearly the whole box. But the tamales are so hot that Slapsie holds his mouth as steam issues from his ears. He coughs and runs wildly around looking for water. He makes a huge hole in the ring as he runs off, possibly never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Porky is cheered for defeating the bull. The spectators lavish Porky with hats, and when a small derby lands on his head, he imitates Oliver Hardy.

Home media[]

• Laserdisc - Longitude and Looneytude: Globetrotting Looney Tunes Favorites

References[]

External links[]

• The Timid Toreador at The Big Cartoon DataBase
• The Timid Toreador at IMDb